Wrist band linkage



July 7, 1970 w. s. CARLSON WRIST BAND LINKAGE Original Filed April 15,1965 In van for Q n euJ/P, o n 2 S r I. m v Q W 3 w. 0% h m W5 A UnitedStates Patent Olfice Reissuecl July 7, 1970 Int. Cl. FI6g 13/24 U.S. C].5979 6 Claims Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the originalpatent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printedin italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flexible. articulated wrist band linkagecomprising a plurality of links joined by a plurality of essentiallyU-shaped linking members, the linkage including a series of mountingmembers each of which has four pairs of mounting channels formed by twopairs of ears adjacent to one end and two pairs adjacent to the otherend with each channel alapted to rotatably receive and cooperate with aleg of a U-shaped linking member and means for retaining the linkingmembers in the mounting channels, whereby a plurality of links may bejoined in a flexible articulated linkage. According to the preferredembodiment the legs of the linking members are provided with notches andthe means for retaining them in the mounting channels includes meansassociated with the mounting member which are engateable within thenotches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a flexible,articulated bracelet and, more particularly, to a bracelet for use as awrist band for a watch comprising a plurality of discrete links joinedby relatively resilient means to provide sufficient flexibility toensure comfort to the user while permitting that amount of expansionencountered in normal usuage and simultaneously preventing loss due toover expandability.

The early efforts of the skilled artisans Working in the bracelet orWrist band art, as manifiested in prior art patents, generally producedsubstantially rigid bracelets.

lacking in both flexibility and resiliency or expandability. .Subsequentresearch activity directed toward provision of a wrist band capable of amaximum degree of expansion has been successful but has producedbracelets of extremely complex structure. That is, although the priorart teaches bracelets having a high degree of flexibility and expansion,the commerically acceptable bracelets of the art comprise a relativelylarge number of intricate components linked in a complex structure.Consequently, the art is essentially limited to substantially rigidbracelets or flexible bracelets of complex structure permitting a degreeof expansion substantially above that required in normal usage. Whilecomplexity is not per se undesirable, it does unavoidably result inhigher cost of manufacture and repair. Further. and more important in anarticle of this nature. a structurally complex Wrist band is difficultto disassemble and, therefore. alterations necessary to adjust thelength of a bracelet for a particular user cannot be readilyaccomplished. A further problem encountered with wrist bands having ahigh degree of expandability is the likelihood that the wrist band willslip off the users wrist when the user is involved in activitiesrequiring extensive motion of the wrist.

Accordingly. an object of the present invention is to provide a flexiblewrist band having suflicicnt resiliency to permit that amount ofexpansion encountered in normal usage.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hexible, articulatedwrist band which may be readily adjusted in length.

A still further and more specific object of this invention is to providea flexible. articulated wrist band comprising discrete links joined byresilient means which is of relatively uncomplex structure.

To this end and in accordance with a feature of this invention there isprovided a flexible, articulated wrist band comprising a plurality ofdiscrete links resiliently joined by a plurality of essentially U-shapedlinking members, each of said links comprising a mounting member havinga plurality of channels formed on cars extending outwardly therefrom andadapted to receive a leg of one of said U-shaped linking members andmeans for retaining said U-shaped members in position in said channels.

The above and other features of the invention will now be moreparticularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims.

The principles and features of this invention may be employed in variedand numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of theinvention.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view on enlarged scale showing a portion of awrist band embodying features of the subject invention in normallyinverted position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of one of the component blanks used to formone of the links of the wrist band illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the components of one link of thewrist band of the subject invention also in normally inverted position;and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, on a smaller scale, of a wrist band for awatch embodying the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the subject invention generally comprises aplurality of links 10 joined by essentially U-shaped linking member 12.A complete wrist band, as seen in FIG. 5, may be formed by joining anapppropriate number of links 10 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 andhereinafter described in detail. An article such as a watch may bejoined to the ends of the wrist band, as shown in FIG. 5, inconventional manner.

Each of the links 10 comprises an outer, dished cover 14 having adepending (when assembled in a completed band) skirt 16 extending aroundthe periphery thereof. The dished cover 14 is used as a support or baseupon which the remainder of the link 10 is assembled, as hereinafterdescribed. The outer surface 15 of the cover 14 may be decorated in anydesired manner whereby a plurality thereof may be combined to providewrist bands of varied and attractive designs. As particularlyillustrated in FIG. 4, portions of the skirt 16 are removed to providetabs 18, 18 certainly located on opposite sides of the main body of thecover 14.

A plurality of links 10 are flexibly or pivotally joined in abuttingrelation to form a wrist band by the cooperative action of the U-shapedmembers 12 and mounting members 24. The mounting members 24 are formedfrom metal bands as illustrated in FIG. 3. Ears 26 and 28 on the metalblanks are folded upwardly and mounting channels 30 (FIG. 4) formed inthe terminal portion thereof by wrapping an extension 34 of said earsback into contact with the main portion of said cars 26. 28. As bestillustrated in FIG. 4, each mounting member 24 comprises an elongatedbase portion 40 having a plurality of upstanding ears 26, 28 located onopposite ends thereof. each of said cars 26, 28 having a mountingchannel 30 formed therein which is adapted to receive one leg of aU-shaped member 12, as hereinafter described.

The mounting channels 30 on the cars 26, 28 are displaced from the baseportion 40 of the mounting member 24 a distance sufficient to permit aleaf spring 60 to be slid thereunder whereby the leaf spring may becentrally positioned on the mounting means. Each leaf spring 60 has twodisplaced holding projections 62, 62 formed therein extendingtransversely thereof which cooperate with notches 66 in the U-shapedmembers 12 to retain said U-shaped members in position, as hereinafterdescribed. In order to insert a leaf spring 60 into position on amounting member 24, it must be depressed and slid between the ears 26,28 and under the channels 30. The leaf spring [24] 60 will thereafter beretained in position by the ears 26, 28 and channels 30 until it isdepressed and removed.

A link 10 is assembled by centrally locating a leaf spring 60 on amounting member 24 and thereafter inserting the mounting member 24 inthe dished portion of a cover 14 whereby the skirt 16 circumscribes thebase portion 40 of the mounting member 24. The mounting member 24 andthe cover 14 are secured together by folding the tabs 18 inwardly intoengagement with the exposed surface of the base portion 40, as bestillustrated in FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, adjacent links 10 are joined by inserting thelegs of a U-shaped member 12 into the appropriate channels 30 formed inthe mounting members 24 of adjacent links 10. That is, the opposite legsof each U-shaped member 12 are inserted into adjacent channels 30 formedon the mounting members of consecutive links 10. The U-shaped members 12are retained in position by engagement of the notches 66 formed thereonwith the holding projections 62, 62 on the leaf springs 60 associatedwith each link 10. A plurality of links may thus be securely andflexibly jointed. The structural character of the U-shaped members 12permits a degree of relative movement between the legs thereof and,thus, provides resiliency in a bracelet formed in the manner describedabove. That is, when a plurality of links 10 are joined by a pluralityof U-shaped members 12 as aforesaid, the aggregation of U-shaped members12 produces a resilient wrist band which permits that amount ofexpansion encountered in normal usage but preventing the band frominadvertently coming off the wearer as is common with the extremelyspandable bands of the prior art, particularly when worn while thewearer is participating in athletics.

A bracelet constructed in the manner described above may readily beadjusted in length by removing a desired number of links 10 bywithdrawal of the appropriate U- shaped members 12. The wrist band ofthe subject invention is thus structurally simple, flexible andresilient to the degree required, and readily adjustable in length.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A flexible, articulated wrist band linkage comprising a plurality ofdiscrete links [resiliently] joined by a plurality of separate U-shapedlinking members each comprising a pair of legs connected by a bight;[each of] said [links]linkage comprising a series of mounting memberseach mounting member having a [plurality of] first pair of mountingchannels formed [on] by a first pair of ears extending therefromadjacent to one end and adapted to rotatably receive and cooperate with[a] the legs of a first pair of said separate U-shaped linking members,and each mounting member having a second pair of mounting channelsformed by a second pair of ears extending from adjacent to the oppositeend thereof and adapted to r0- ratably receive and cooperate with thelegs of a second pair of said separate U-shaped linkinlg members,whereby a plurality of said links may be [resiliently] joined and meansfor retaining said linking members in said mounting channels.

[2. A flexible, articulated wrist band comprising a plurality ofdiscrete links resiliently joined by a plurality of essentially U-shapedlinking members; each of said links comprising a mounting member havinga plurality of mounting channels formed on ears extending therefrom andadapted to receive a leg of one of said U-shaped linking members wherebya plurality of said links may be resiliently joined] 3. A flexible,articulated Wrist band linkage according to claim 1 [comprising aplurality of discrete links resiliently joined by a plurality ofessentially U-shaped linking members; each of said links comprising amounting member having a plurality of mounting channels formed on carsextending therefrom and adapted to receive a leg of one of said U-shapedlinking members whereby a plurality of said links may be resilientlyjoined] wherein the means for retaining said linking members in saidmounting channels [comprising] comprises spring means engageable withthe legs of said linking members.

4. A flexible articulated wrist band linkage according to claim 1[comprising a plurality of discrete links resiliently joined by aplurality of] wherein the [essentially] U-shaped linking members[having] each have a notch formed in [the terminal portion of each ]itsleg [thereof]; [each of said links comprising a mounting member having aplurality of mounting channels formed on cars extend ing from a baseportion thereof and adapted to receive a leg of one of said U-shapedmembers whereby a plurality of said links may be resiliently joined] andsaid means for retaining said linking members in said mounting channels[comprising a leaf spring having a plurality of holding projectionsthereon] comprises means engageable within said notches.

[5. A flexible, articulated wrist band comprising a plurality ofdiscrete links resiliently joined by a plurality of linking members;each of said links comprising a cover, a mounting member having aplurality of mounting channels formed on cars extending therefrom andadapted to receive and cooperate with a linking member whereby aplurality of said links may be resilientl joined and means for retainingsaid linking members in said mounting channels] 6. A flexible,articulated wrist band linkage comprising a plurality of discrete links[resiliently] joined by a plurality of essentially U-shaped linkingmembers; each of said links comprising a cover having a depending skirtextending around the periphery thereof, a mounting member mountable onsaid cover within said depending skirt and having a plurality ofmounting channels formed on ears extending there from and adapted toreceive a leg of one of said U-shaped linking members whereby aplurality of said links may be [resiliently] joined.

7. A flexible, articulated wrist band linkage comprising a plurality ofdiscrete links [resiliently] joined by a plurality of essentiallyU-shaped linking members; each of said links comprising a cover, amounting member having a plurality of mounting channels formed on earsextending therefrom and adapted to receive a leg of one of said U-shapedlinking members whereby a plurality of said links may be [resiliently]joined, and means for retaining said linking members in said mountingchannels comprising spring means engageable with the legs of saidlinking members.

8. A flexible, articulated wrist band linkage comprising a plurality ofdiscrete links [resiliently] joined by a plurality of essentiallyU-shaped linking members having a notch formed in [the terminal portionof] each leg thereof; each of said links comprising a cover having adepending skirt extending around the periphery thereof, a mountingmember mountable on said cover within said depending skirt and having aplurality of mounting channels formed on cars extending from a baseportion thereof and adapted to receive a leg of one of said U-shapedmembers whereby a plurality of said links may be [resiliently] joinedand means for retaining said linking members in said mounting channelscomprising a leaf spring 5 6 having a plurality of holding projectionsthereon engage- FOREIGN PATENTS able Wlllhln Sald n0tChS, Gerrnany'References Cited 1,022,401 1/1958 Germany.

The following references, cited by the Examiner, are 1/1958 Germany ofrecord in the patented file of this patent or the original CHARLES WILANHAM Primary Examiner patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS G. P. CROSBY, Assistant Examiner 1,712,564 5/1929Jones 59-80 2,689,450 9/1954 Stiegele 5979 m

